Seven sentenced to death for Ecstasy production

Indonesia’s Supreme Court today sentenced nine men, including Chinese, French and Dutch nationals, to death for producing millions of pills of the illegal nightlife drug Ecstasy.

“The Supreme Court considers the Frenchman and Dutchman experts,” Djoko Sarwoko said.

“If we let them be, they would be able to produce in other place, or teach others their skills. This is a threat to the next generation.”

Five Chinese defendants had funded the operation, he said, while two Indonesian men had run the day-to-day manufacturing operation.

Nancy Yuliana, the defence lawyer for Dutchman Dick Nicolaas, said she and her client had not yet been informed of the decision.

The factory in Banten province, just west of the capital Jakarta, was capable of producing 300,000 Ecstasy tablets per week.

An estimated €102m worth of Ecstasy, methamphetamines, ketamine and chemical ingredients were seized by the police from the plant, among the largest discovered in Indonesia.